


Come Home

by pixar_was_my_childhood



Series: Ninjago AUs [10]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Dialogue Heavy, I Tried, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25699984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixar_was_my_childhood/pseuds/pixar_was_my_childhood
Summary: “We are going to come back. We are going to come back, and see her, and hold her again like we never even left in the first place.”~Only they never did come back, nor did the rest of the Ninja.
Relationships: Echo Zane & Original Female Character(s), Nya & Jay Walker
Series: Ninjago AUs [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2048813
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Come Home

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25466095) by [notgood23](https://archiveofourown.org/users/notgood23/pseuds/notgood23). 



> The sequel, of sorts, to 'Home' by notgood23. Emma Kaileen Walker doesn't belong to me.

Echo was only meant to be looking after Nya and Jay’s daughter, Emma, for a few days while the Ninja were off on a longer-lasting mission.

Only they never returned - they weren’t dead Pixal had told him and Wu, they had just disappeared, no warning or mention of a destination. Before they had departed, Nya had made him promise “Look after Emma until we come home” and no matter how long it took, Echo would keep that promise.

**_What if something bad happened?_ **

Once their Elemental Dragons had disappeared from view, Echo (with the baby safely nestled in his arms) returned inside the Monastery of Spinjitzu.

Why had they left Emma with _him_? Why not with Ray and Maya or Ed and Edna, FSM, anyone else would be a better choice than him, he had only been rebuilt a few short weeks ago. It was fine, he could manage a few days.

* * *

When the days turned into weeks, without any communication and that too turned into months, it was clear that the Ninja wasn’t going to be coming back any time soon. And somewhere along the way, Echo moved them both to the Treehouse in Birchwood Forest.

As nice as it was, the Monastery was no place to raise a child.

**_Where were they? Were they even still alive?_ **

Shaking his head as if it would clear those thoughts from his mind, the android turned his attention to the five-year-old Emma who was playing with a recently-built version of Zane’s original Robo-falcon.

“Emma!” he called to her, only just loud enough to get the girl’s attention. “Come here, please,” Echo requested as she got up, the Robo-falcon perched on her small shoulder.

When Echo had first moved them to the Treehouse, he had cleared out one of the two underground rooms which Dr. Julien had previously used as a storage room. He would have to be lying if he said the stuff he found in there didn’t ignite a spark of jealousy toward his brother.

Echo had finished preparing their lunch so they took it up to the top of the staircase to eat.

**_It’s been five years, where were they? Were they lying dead somewhere in northern Ninjago?_ **

“You said my parents were off somewhere, when are they coming back?” she asked between mouthfuls.

“I did say that. They’ll be back soon, don’t you worry,” he attempted to reassure her, hoping she wouldn’t ask anymore on the topic.

“I hope it’s soon!” the five-year-old chirped and resumed her lunch.

**_He hoped so too._ **

* * *

Ten years later 

The now-fifteen-year-old Emma Kaileen Walker stood out on Birchwood Forest’s snow-covered ground, chopping wood. When she finished splitting the sixth log, she tied a rope around the pile and took it inside the treehouse.

“Echo?!” she called out as she entered the structure and shut the heavy door behind her. As she descended the stairs, Emma spoke again, “I’ve finished with the wood,”

When he heard her speak, the android in question looked up from where he had been fixing something in his arm

“Great! Can you stack some in the fireplace? I’ll come over to light it once I’m finished here,” Echo told her as he finished up whatever he was fixing in his arm and clipped the panel back into place.

Emma crossed the space with the bundle of wood, untied the rope, and started stacking the logs in the fireplace.

A few minutes later, Echo joined her and lighted the pile of wood, the light from the fire lit up the small space and the warmth that followed, Emma stuck her fingers in front of to warm them up. They sat side-by-side watching the fire flicker and puff out embers.

“Your uncle, Kai, can control fire,” Echo told her.

A combination of surprise and disbelief made itself known on her face, “I don’t believe you, how does he not get _burnt_?” she questioned.

“You will have to ask him yourself when you see him,” he answered.

Emma got up and retrieved her schoolwork book from where it sat on the table. As they lived far out in the frigid landscape that were Birchwood Forest, Emma was homeschooled.

A comfortable silence fell between them, that was until...a moderately-loud knocking sounded from the door above them and Echo went over to the outside monitor that he had installed as part of the security system.

Whatever or whoever was outside clearly shocked Echo enough that he stilled for a few moments.

“Echo? Who’s up there?” asked Emma, confusion and concern clear in her voice.

The android took his eyes off the monitor and told her, “Emma, go to your room and stay there until I call you,”

“Why?”

“Go, Emma!”

“Who’s up there?”

Echo had started making his way up the stair as he barked, “Emma Walker, go now,”

Seeing no way she would win, Emma complied and disappeared into her room. When Echo opened the door, there stood two very familiar people.

“Took you long enough,” the older-looking Master of Water grumbled.

“Nya, Jay, why are you here?” Echo demanded.

A strange expression appeared on Jay’s face.

“We want to see our daughter, Echo,” he said like it would explain their fifteen-year absence.

“Why now? Where were you for the last fifteen years?” Echo questioned.

Nya sighed. “The mission to northern Ninjago? It went sour, we stumbled on something and when they caught wind of us, they sent _mercs_ after us,” she explained.

“If we returned straight to Ninjago City, they would have killed all of our families, our parents, _and_ Emma,”

“I understand those reasons that but why _fifteen years_?” the android insisted as he led the two Elemental Masters into the treehouse. The two Elementals shared a look between themselves as they descended the stairs behind Echo.

“We ran into some...um, _trouble-_ ” Nya was interrupted by a door banging open.

“Echo? Who was-” Emma caught sight of the two Elemental Masters, “Um, hi?” she greeted.

“Hi Emma,” Jay greeted as the girl in question sent Echo a look that said ‘who are these people and why are they here?’

“Emma, these are your parents, Jay and Nya,” Echo introduced.

“It’s great to finally meet you both,” she said cheerfully. They were both looking over their daughter, who looked so much like Nya it was kind of creepy.

“Emma, I - we are _so sorry_ we haven’t been around for most of your life,” Nya apologized for them both. Before anyone could say anything more, Echo disappeared to the other room to give them some privacy.

“I feel like I should be mad at you but I only feel glad to finally meet you both,” she admitted.

“That’s good, on the way here, Jay was so worried that you would be angry at us,” joked the Master of water causing the Master of Lightning to yell “Hey!” and whack her on the arm. Emma laughed at their interaction.


End file.
